Next Nintendo Direct Coming This Week, To Focus On ARMS, Splatoon 2 And Other Switch Info

With The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild now out, Nintendo started focusing on other Switch exclusive titles which will hit all regions in the next few months. Two of these exclusives will be the main focus of the next Nintendo Direct.

Earlier today, Nintendo confirmed that the next Nintendo Direct will be streamed on April 12th at 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern, 11pm UK. ARMS and Splatoon 2 will be the main focuses of the new Direct, but there will also be new information regarding the Switch and 3DS, so some new announcements may also come in.

Both Splatoon 2 and ARMS have been revealed during the Nintendo Switch January presentation and later made available during Switch focused events all over the world. In his hands-on preview, Dave noted that Splatoon 2 fixes some of the issues found in its predecessor, but its success may be dependent on how Nintendo will handle the game’s online features.

In the end, Splatoon may have been the trial run for Splatoon 2. So many missteps the original took have been rectified, and what we have is finally the kind of game that casual fans can happily hop in and out of with their friends, as well as a game that we could see a real grassroots competitive scene form around – it all depends on Nintendo, their online infrastructure, and their matchmaking options. It’s a big ask from a company with a less-than-stellar reputation for online services, but on the off-chance that Nintendo gets everything right, Splatoon 2 could be the next big thing.

In the same way, ARMS success may depend on how the Japanese company will handle the online component of the game. As a whole, ARMS has a lot of potential, with all the hallmarks of a proper fighting game.

ARMS just could be the next big competitive title for Nintendo, showing the kind of potential that Splatoon has in spades, let’s just hope Nintendo’s online services hold up to the scrutiny of fighting game fans that demand low-latency, because that will make or break Nintendo’s new boxing IP.